A New Life, A New Home
by EpsilonPanda
Summary: My life was dismal. It was a wreck. A few years after the terrorist attack on the world by GHQ, I found myself returning home, only for my apartment to be broken into and for me to be attacked, nearly killed. Luckily, someone saved me. A goddess, maybe. But they offered me a second chance at life, and I took it. This is a self-insert so beware! T for Violence and language.
1. Chapter 1: Shepherds

**_**_****_Just want to quickly say thank you to revan193 for the suggestion and help with the ideas of this fanfiction. Also, a quick disclaimer, everything Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, and the few references in the setting early on I make belong to Redjuice and Production I.G. for Guilty Crown. Thanks for reading!**_**

Chapter 1

Shepherds

* * *

I stepped out into the chilly streets of Chicago, the building's door closing, the sound of a bell attached to it ringing. I pulled the brown and red scarf around my neck tightly, raising my shoulders to my ears as the cold wind stung my face.

The rails above my shook as the L sped by, squealing to a stop a few feet down from where I stood underneath it. I grumbled as the wind died down, looking at the papers in my hand.

Military Recruitment forms. A big red 4-F was stamped at the bottom of the papers. I dropped them to my side, lightly holding on to the stapled packet of papers, looking up into the cloudy, grey sky. I exhaled, my breath hanging there for a few moments before dissipating. As the mist of my breath faded, a single snowflake drifted down, landing on the bridge of my nose, quickly melting into nothing. I shook my head and stepped out into the rather empty streets, heading toward my apartment. Buildings around me sat in a ruined mess, purple crystals poking out from their framework. Groups of people sat around corners, thin tents made out of mismatch fabric hooked to walls, large trash cans in the center of their groups, fires blazing tall in all of them. I rounded the corner onto Lakeshore and saw more and more crystals, the usual sight for this age.

I opened the door to my studio apartment, turning on the lights and throwing my coat and scarf onto a coat rack. Turning around, I slid the multitude of locks bolted to the door in order to keep anyone out of here. I sighed, sitting down in a chair, pulling out a small lower case R looking object, hitting a button on the side and seeing the lights come on, a screen protector underneath the boundaries. I quickly scrolled through the news updates on all things military, science, and gaming. I pressed another button, the lights on the object dying, and slid it onto my desk. I leaned back in my chair, sighing, letting my arms drop to my side.

I slide my chair toward my desk, sighing and picking up a VR headset. I pressed a button quickly on the side, hearing the OS's boot-up jingle, and smiling slightly, but the happiness quickly fading. I slid it over my head, taking off my glasses and leaning further back in my chair. I grabbed the armrest of the chair tightly as I felt my vision and hearing go, the black image I was greeted with turning into white light. The light faded slowly, revealing a large, overgrown fantasy town, a gigantic tree in the center, reaching toward the skies. I smiled. I was home.

I looked down at my arms, seeing the flawless skin of my avatar, a curved sword strapped to my hip. The weight on my back was familiar, a large greatsword my character wielded. I quickly checked my friendslist, seeing three of my best friends online. I quickly messaged them, and they immediately mentioned an event raid happening, inviting me to their party without any word from me.

I chuckled a little as I was teleported to the dungeon they were in, monsters in nearly every nook and cranny of the cave. The walls had a blue tint, and strange carvings, like an ancient language, scrawled across smooth portions of them. I quickly drew my curved sword from my hip, the blade much shorter in length than most, almost that of a dagger. On my right arm was a gauntlet with a shield built-in, shaped like a teardrop, the thin end toward my hand. I readied myself as signs of enemies approached.

Goblins quickly rounded the corner as I lowered myself into a deep stance. One rushed toward us, and I took the point, slamming my shield arm into them, knocking them on their back. A second rushed at me, their sword lunging from my bottom left. I quickly took my short curved sword, latching onto the monster's black and pulling him off balance, yanking him toward the other goblin now on the floor. As he crashed into the ground, I reached toward the large sword on my back with my right hand, feeling the small leather straps that held it in place detached. I pulled the sword over my head with all my might, slamming it down into the two goblins, screaming as the blade made contact. Their bodies shattered into particles of light, fading into the sky quickly, dust from the floor surrounding the point of contact.

* * *

I sat in a large guildhall with the three friends I had joined. We all sat, talking, drinking the in-game booze they gave us, and looking over the rare loot the event raid gave us, trading a few pieces of equipment here and there. None of the equipment was too great, more valuable as fashion armor over anything else. As I hit accept on one of the trades, I swore I heard something outside of the game. I shrugged it off, thinking it to be a few military rounds that pass by, or maybe a few of the people outside searching for food in the apartment next to mine. I shrugged it off, continuing to trade with the guys, and laughing over stories of other raids. As I received a notification for a trade of rare material on of my friends have, something outside the game jerked me back into reality.

I was greeted by the outside world, my bodily functions suddenly regained. The VR helmet sat on the ground, the cords still in, lights from the games shining into the darkened room. The three guys over voice chat calling out my name, asking if everything was okay. I slowly stood up, my heart racing. I turned my head, stepping to the side to quickly dodge a jab of something. A dark figure, wrapped in a cloak stood before me, a gleaming silver knife in his hand, a few spots of rust on the blade. I glanced behind them, seeing the locks of my door busted, a foot-sized hole in the center of the slab of wood.

The person grunted, slashing knife upwards. I raised my hands in defense, stepping back, my waist slamming into my desk, the computer monitor shaking, falling backward. My arm was filled with searing pain as the knife passed the center of my vision, a warm liquid flowing down onto my elbow. The person lunged forward, screaming, it was a high pitched voice, not that of a woman, but of a younger man. I lowered myself, grabbing the person's arm, trying to get a good look at them. Their hood covered the majority of their face, and the parts that weren't covered by their hood were covered by a jet black mask. As I glanced into the person's barely visible eye, pushed forward, the knife slamming into my shoulder, pushing me further back, knocking me off balance. I slammed my hand onto my desk to regain balance, feeling the screen of the monitor give and crack. I quickly cursed myself in my head and attempted to regain control of the situation. As I pushed off the monitor and desk, I felt the screen give way, almost like a thin sheet of plastic. I tried pushing forward harder, but my hand wouldn't me. The person twisted the knife in my shoulder and I howled in pain, feeling the blade twist a cut ever part of my shoulder. As they pulled the knife out and went for another stab, The plastic-like texture of the screen sucked my arm, pulling it down even further, my right arm up to my shoulder now inside the monitor, the feeling in that arm disappearing. I cursed under my breath as the person's stab came closer and closer, closing my eyes waiting for the pain of the blade entering my gut, but feeling nothing, just emptiness.

After a few seconds, I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself in a black space, my stomach feeling like it was freely floating freely throughout my abdomen.

Hello, young man.

A voice came from the darkness, echoing throughout my head. It was the voice of a young woman.

"Who is that?!" I shouted.

You would like to live a longer life, right?

That's all your people wish for.

"What do you mean?! Am I dead? Of course I do!" I shouted after the voice. I regained my footing on something and immediately sprinted toward the direction of the voice.

Well, good news. I've been watching you.

I like you. You deserve a second chance.

Life has screwed you over.

"Like hell it has! Ever since Christmas of that year, my life's gone to shit!" I shouted, thoroughly frustrated and confused over this voice.

I can tell from your wrists.

I stopped in my tracks. "H-how?" I muttered, looking down at my arms, making out the barely visible marks horizontally across both my wrists. Above me, a blinding light suddenly appeared, causing me to recoil and raise my arm over my eyes.

A figure emerged from the center, slowing blue light all around them. As they grew closer, the figure of a woman formed, long green hair, flowing down to her waist, an open center purple, pink, and white dress, a belt made from what seemed to be gold and crystals loosely hanging on her waist. She floated down, gracefully, her arms outstretched toward me. As she came within reach, her hands cupped my face, and she grew uncomfortably close to me.

"I'm going to give you a second chance at life, is that okay?" she asked, smiling slightly, a cute smile.

"Y-yeah, I guess," I said, caught off guard.

"You… guess?" she asked, pouting slightly.

"D-Definitely!" I shouted, closing my eyes. She giggled and I slowly opened one eye.

"Very well," she said. "I'll even give you something to feel at home with." She snapped her fingers and disappeared. As she did, I felt the 'ground' beneath me tremble, and suddenly give out, my consciousness fading as I fell through the empty void again.

* * *

"Who is he?" a woman's voice asked. It sounded young, closer to their twenties.

"Just leave him there until the others get back," a man's voice growled. It was more distant than the others.

The voices were unrecognizable. Where was I? I couldn't open my eyes to see.

"I swear, that man," the woman grumbled. "Sumia, could you go get me some water?"

"On it," another woman's voice said. It was a higher pitch than the first one. There was some silence, then footsteps along with the sloshing of water. Noises of someone moving around water came from my left side. Quickly after, there was the press of a cold, wet rag on my cheek. It stung and the cold water ran down my face and onto my neck.

The feelings combined made my eyes shoot open and I pulled my head away from the rag. As the cold water ran down my neck and into my shirt, I shivered.

"Now, calm down," a woman said calmly. I looked up, seeing a tall woman, kneeling in front of me, a large cloak and baggy pants, and tall hat on, making her look like a mage of some sort. Her red hair was cut short, and her glasses sat low on her nose. "You're injured. This will keep the swelling down." Her voice was soothing, my heart quickly calming as she spoke. She lightly touched the rag to my cheek, wiping away what I would assume to be dirt, soaking it in a bucket full of water to my left and pushing it against the same spot.

"S-sorry, but where am I?" I asked, breaking the silence we sat in for nearly a minute.

"You're in the kingdom of Ylisse," she quickly answered.

"Ylisse?"

She stopped what she was doing. "You're not from around here? What country are you from, then?"

"America," I replied. She looked at me, extremely confused.

"The hell is a 'Murcia'?" the man from before shouted.

"Listen, it seems like you hit your head pretty hard when you fell, so just take it easy," the mage-looking woman said to me, patting my shoulder. "We have a couch inside you can rest on." She stood up, dusting off her pants and holding her hand out to me.

I took it, feeling my legs give out as she pulled me to them, putting my arm around her shoulder in one quick movement. She glanced down at my arms, blood still seeping from the wounds I sustained before. What the hell happened, I grumbled in a thought. She slowly led me into a building, almost like a fort, but homier.

She slowly lowered me onto the couch, spreading a blanket over me and pushing up her glasses. "Get some rest and we'll talk later." She leaned in close to my ear. "And ignore that guy in the corner. He's a little crazy."

She walked into another room, sitting down at a table and opening a book, beginning to mumble to herself. Another woman walked into the room, wearing armor, her light-colored hair falling to the center of her back. She smiled at me and started to step closer, tripping and stumbling forward. I jumped up, holding out my hands as she fell, trying to catch her, but she just landed on her knees and sighed.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, reaching out my hand. She laughed a little and nodded, taking my hand as I helped her stand up.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's just these shoes," she sighed. She dusted herself off and bowed. "I'm Sumia. Nice to meet you."

I smiled and bowed back. "I'm Mason," She hadn't let go of my hand from before, and quickly looked down at them.

"Oh my goddesses, you're bleeding! Bad too!" she shouted. "Let me get you patched up." She ran off, returning a few seconds later with a tray of bandages and bottles. She quickly pushed me onto the couch and sat down next to me, placing the tray on her lap. "Hold out your arms," she demanded, popping the cork out of one of the bottles. She turned it upside down, covering the top with a rag, the rag soaking up whatever liquid was inside. Sumia dabbed the rag against the wounds, the cuts bubbling a stinging. I winced, sharply inhaling through gritted teeth. She smiled, patting my shoulder as she applied more, rubbing the area around the wound to soothe the pain. She set the rag aside, corking up the bottle again and grabbing a roll of bandages, wrapping them around each arm tightly, smiling as she finished and patted each arm.

"You're good to-"

She stopped mid-sentence, staring at my shoulder. I glanced down, seeing the blood-stained shirt I was wearing, the darkest spot of blood by my shoulder. I looked at Sumia, whose face turned a bright red than a tomato.

"D-don't worry about it Sumia," I said, waving my arms in front of me.

"B-But you're injured!"

"She's right, weird man," the man said.

"C-could you take o-off your shirt so I could t-treat the wound?" she asked, stuttering over her words.

"You really don't have to-"

"Just take it off!" the woman in the other room shouted. "We don't want you dying from blood loss!"

I grumbled under my breath, quickly taking off my shirt, leaving my arms in the sleeves, but bringing it to the front of my body. Sumia turned toward me, applying more liquid to the rag, keeping dead eye-contact with me as she lightly touched the rag to the wound. I glanced down, seeing a deep hole in my shoulder. My memory flashed back to the person stabbing me, twisting the knife. I shook my head and the memory from my thoughts as Sumia carefully wiped the blood off my skin. She gently rubbed the area around the wound as she cleaned it with the rag, the wound searing, but strangely soothed by her touch.

"Y-you're good at this," I said, breaking the awkward silence. She blushed.

"Thanks. I'm a little too clumsy to be good at anything else," she replied.

"Yeah, give her a book and she'll bleed out from a paper cut," the woman in the other room said.

"Miriel!" Sumia shouted. "Knock it off!"

She returned to treating the wound, the two of us sitting in silence. She stood up, wrapping my arm and shoulder in bandages, having me raise my arms as she wrapped my chest as well, keeping the bandages in place. She patted my other shoulder as she finished, and I smiled, thanking her. I slid the shirt back on, but she stopped me.

"We've got spare clothes for you," she said. "Don't put that thing back on."

"You're fine. If I can at least get to a shop soon-" I started as she walked away, opening a closet and rummaging through some things, completely ignoring my protest.

"They're probably some of Vaike's clothes, so hopefully they'll fit you," she said through a few other mumbles I couldn't hear. A minute or two of rummaging, she stood up from the closet. "Aha! Here we go!" she turned to me holding up a large shirt, mahogany and green stripes running horizontally across it. She handed it to me and I quickly slid it on. It was a wool sweater, lined with a thin layer of leather on the inside.

The man in the corner turned toward me and started to burst out laughing. "Is that the ugly sweater you gave me?" he said between laughter.

"Yes, but I think it's rather good looking," Sumia said, pouting slightly.

"It's comfortable," I said, rotating my right shoulder, feeling a strange sense of freedom in it. It felt natural.

Sumia smiled, beaming with happiness. "Really? That's great," she said. I stretched, my back popping slightly, and sighed.

"So what is this place, really?" I asked, looking around at the fort-like building. Boxes sat in the corner and weapon racks were on the wall, making it look like barracks, but furniture sat all around, making it seem like a home.

"Well, Prince Chrom can give you the full introduction to the place when he gets back, but this is the base of operations for a little group he likes to call 'the Shepherds'. We're like a personal army of Chrom's," she answered. "We're technically a military force, but we're all very casual about it."

"Speaking of Chrome getting back," Vaike said, jumping up from his chair.

Four people walked into the building, one man in a full set of armor, a man in blue clothes and a white and blue cape, a sword on his waist, a guy in mage robes, and a girl in a white dress.

"Lissa!" another woman shouted, rushing in from the other side of the building, ramming into and wrapping her arms around the girl in the dress.

"Hey, Sumia," the man in blue clothes, said, smiling.

"Hello, Prince Chrom," she replied.

Vaike stepped forward, bumping the man's arm with his and laughing.

"So, Robin, I'd like to introduce you to the Shepherds, a small little group of friends that help defend the citizens of Ylisse against the Plegians," the man in blue told the guy in mage clothing. "This is Maribelle," he said, pointing to the woman who was hugging Lissa. "Sumia," he said, pointing to her. "And Vaike. In the other room is Miriel, our mage and research expert. Everybody, this is Robin. He claims to have lost his memories, and he has my wholehearted faith that he is of good nature. I'd like everyone to welcome him as well." Robin nervously chuckled and grinned, waving slightly.

"Speaking of people strangely appearing today" Sumia started, "This is Mason. Miriel and I found him at the base of the hill outback, with a lot of cuts and bruises. He says he's from a weird land I've never heard of, but despite the risks, Miriel and I thought it would be best to bring him in and clean him up." The man in heavy armor scoffed a little, starting to walk into the room where Miriel was, murmuring under his breath about Robin and me.

Chrom stepped forward, his eyes piercing through mine. He was rather intimidating.

"I don't see a problem with having another person join our ranks. Sumia's intuition is rather fantastic, so if she seems to accept someone, they must be good-willed. My name is Chrom. I am the Prince of Ylisse, as well as the commander of these Shepherds, and I welcome you to our ranks if you'll accept of course."

"Well, I guess I'll accept," I nervously replied. "Don't know where I am, so why not start a new life," I chuckled.

"That's one way to look at it," Chrom laughed and held out his hand. I shook it and he patted me on the back. "Welcome, Mason. We'll get Robin and you filled in on everything that is going on and find you a place in this group, Mason." Chrom smiled slightly and walked off.

I slowly looked around the place, even livelier than before. I sighed, seeing the sun light up the room from outside. "I could get used to this place," I whispered to myself.

Sumia tapped me on the shoulder, motioning for me to join the rest in the room with a large table.

"We're about to have lunch. I've made it, so I hope you'll enjoy," she said, a smile beaming on her face. I nodded, following her into the other room and sitting down at one of the empty seats with the others.


	2. Chapter 2: The Northroad

Chapter 2

The Northroad

* * *

I slowly rolled over, feeling myself fall out of sleep, sun shining through the tent I lay in. I grumbled, grabbing a pillow and holding it tight, closing my eyes tighter and tighter, blocking out the rays of sun invading my glorious sleep. Birds began chirping, From behind my tent, there was a slight commotion, followed by the clanging of steel. I cursed under my breath, sitting up and throwing the blanket off me, standing up and stretching. I pulled back the flaps of the tent, the light blinding me for a second, and I stepped out. All of the shepherds were out and about.

The outside of the fort was nice and calm, two rows of tents creating a pathway from the back door of the building. At the end of the path way was a small trail leading toward a stable, three horses outside, feeding as a young woman fed them. I stretched, yawning. I peeked around my tent, seeing Chrom and Vaike, standing facing each other, each in a combat stance. Chrom has a slight grin on his face, Vaike beaming with excitement. I stepped closer, leaning against a fence post bordering the large field they stood in.

Vaike rushed at Chrom, his ax aiming for his side. Chrom side stepped slightly, the axe missing him, Vaike losing his balance, Chrome grabbing his arm, sweeping his legs with his. Vaike slammed into the ground, laughing as he caught his breath.

"You're so predictable," Chrom chuckled. "You've got to get better at surprise attacks. Change up your pattern at the last second, do something different."

"Teachin' the teach, huh?" Vaike chuckled.

"Not at all. Just think of it as a friendly suggestion," Chrom explained, helping him up off the ground. They stood in silence for a few seconds, but burst out in hearty laughter. Vaike threw his ax up into his shoulder, and began walking back to his tent, nodding and patting me on the shoulder. I nodded back in greeting,

"Mason! How're you feeling today," Chrom shouted over to me, waving for me to come closer. I stepped over the fence, and nodded.

"A lot better. Virtually no pain," I replied, smiling.

"Ylissian vulenaries will do that to ya," he said, sheathing his sword. "Now that you're up, I have an announcement to make to everyone." He stepped over the fence, waving for me to follow him to the center of the camp. As he passed one of the tents, entering the open pathway lined by them, I was taken aback. The entirety of the camp was bustling. Vaike and a man in green armor with olive colored hair carried buckets fillled to the brim of stuff toward the stables. Lissa and another blonde hair woman, dressed in pink and white. Miriel sat in the same chair, reading the book, and across the way, Robin was walking down the row of tents, a tome open in one hand, muttering words as his eyes fluttered across the pages.

"All right! Listen everyone!" he shouted. Immediately everyone stopped in their place, turning around and stepping toward Chrom, forming a circle. "Around noon, we'll be marching to Regna Ferox."

"Regna Ferox?" Robin asked, closing his tome, furrowing his brow.

"A unified kingdom to Ylisse's north. Inhabited by barbarians, or so it's said," Sumia quickly responded with a tilt of her head and a smile.

"Whatever you consider them, they are warriors, and strong ones at that. We'll need their help with the new threat. Typically, the Exalt would request such aid in person, but given the recent events, the people might worry more should she suddenly leave the capital."

I leaned over to Miriel, who silently walked up beside me. "Exalt?" I asked her in a whisper.

"Like a king or queen. Ruler of Ylisse, but more as a symbol of peace than leadership," she whispered back, pushing her glasses up further on the bridge of her nose. I nodded, thanked her and returned my attention to Chrom.

"Now, this mission is voluntary, So if, for any-" Chrom started, but was quickly interrupted.

"I volunteer!" Lissa shouted, raising her hand and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Same here!" Vaike enthusiastically belted. "Don't think about leavin' Teach behind for this one!"

"I'll go as well," a voice came from behind Miriel and I. I jumped, spinning around, coming face to face with a man in large silver and orange armor, his brown hair in a bowl cut. He looked down at me and smiled. I smiled back, my heart racing. He wasn't there before, was he?

"Yes, Sumia?" Chrom asked. Sumia stood there, head down at her hands, pressed together as if she was thinking about speaking up.

"I just don't think I'm ready for a proper mission just yet. I-I'll probably just get in the way," she mumbled.

Chrom laughed. "Nonsense! If we do meet a battle, you can always just stick to the back and watch. You'll be bound to learn something."

"I-If you think it's for the best," she whispered looking away.

"Just stick with me and you'll be fine," Chrom said, giving a thumbs up and smile.

She blushed, quickly looking away. "Thank you. I'll do that," she said, smiling. "Sir." she added on after glancing around the group.

"I'd like to go with you, Chrom!" Robin said, raising his hand slightly. "I'd like to see how everyone performs in battle for my future tactics."

Chrom nodded, and glanced at me. "What about you, Mason?"

"I'd also like to participate, if that's fine. I know it'll be my first time in combat, so if I slow you down at all, let me know."

"You'll be fine. You'll have all of us with you." He grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "Anyway, we leave around noon, so get something to eat and relax while you can!" Everyone saluted and went off on their own ways. I started toward the fort, ready to grab some breakfast, but Chrom's hand on my shoulder stopped me. I slowly turned, and saw him grinning from ear to ear. "So, Mason. Want to have a little sparring match?" he asked.

I grinned, feeling excitement grow in my chest. "D-definitely!" He led me toward the armory, rows and rows upon weapons hanging on the wall and in barrels, armor on stands and lying on a table. "So, I was told by Miriel that Sumia and her found some items with you. They took them, just as a safety precaution, but I trust you wholeheartedly." He grabbed some items from the bottom of the barrel, and set them on the table, lying them out individually. I immediately recognized them, and grinned, excited but confused. On the table sat a single vambrace, a tear shaped shield on it. Next to it lay a large greatsword, a small curved sword lying across it.

"They're dull enough now not to cut, so we'll practice with them. You can sharpen them on our way to Ferox," he said, walking towards one of the walls, grabbing a straight sword off it. I grinned, unable to contain my excitement, reaching down and sliding on the vambrace, opening and closing my hands, almost feeling natural to wear it. I slowly grabbed the great sword, the leather straps still attached to it. I slid the belt it was on across my chest, grinning from ear to ear, the weight feeling almost soothing to me, knowing I had some sort of protection on me. I grabbed the final piece of equipment, spinning the short blade over and over in my hand, the balance of the blade feeling natural, quickly doing a few quick slashes, getting used to the actual motion of the strikes.

Chrom put his hand on my shoulder, and chuckled. "Ready for a match?" I chuckled and nodded enthusiastically, and he led me out into the field Vaike and him were in, both of us sliding into a deep stance, his sword readied to the side of his head, the blade pointing toward me, my short blade and shielded arm in front of me, ready for a counter attack.

* * *

I sat on the back of a covered wagon, Lisa sitting next to me, her feet dangling, swaying back and forth playfully. Inside the carriage, most of the Shepherds sat, eyeing over their weapons and equipment. In the front, Frederick sat with Robin, taking the reins, and to each side sat a person on a horse, both with heavy armor. One was a man with green hair, the other was a woman with short red hair.

We traveled down a small, plain road, large open areas on all sides of the wagon. A gentle breeze blew across the area, lifting my hair slightly off my forehead. I stretched, leaning backwards, lying on the floor of the wagon, closing my eyes, enjoying the silence. There was a pressure on both sides of my nose as I began to doze off, and I quickly shot up, trying to catch my breath. As I managed to regain my composure, I heard Lissa giggling uncontrollably. I couldn't help but smile and let out a little chuckle. She tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, and smiled at me.

"So what kingdom are you from?" she asked.

"Ameri-" I started, but sighed and stopped. "I'm from a kingdom far east of here," I told her, thinking about home. "Honestly glad I left home," I whispered to myself, looking down at my wrists, completely covered in scars.

"So what did you do back in your kingdom?" she asked, tilting her head to one side, smiling.

"I wanted to join the army," I said, "but was rejected."

"Rejected? Your kingdom does that?" she asked, taken aback, her eyes wide.

"Yup," I nodded. "I was rejected because of the condition of some of my joints, as well as my spine. Worn out knee joints from childhood games, as well as a condition called scoliosis in my kingdom," I replied.

"Maybe I could give you a massage sometime!" she snapped, grinning ear to ear. "I am a cleric after all, so maybe it'll help your back."

I grinned, chuckling slightly and looking down at my hands again. "That would be nice," I whispered to myself, still smiling.

A few moments passed and Lissa's hand drifted on my mine. "What happened here?" she asked. She turned my arms over, revealing the scars. "Did you try to-" she started, looking up at me, not wanting to continue.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered. "Didn't think anyone cared about me back home, did a few of them before I left my kingdom."

There was a pause as she traced the scars with her elegant fingers. "Well, how about this," she started looking up at me, her hands still on mine. "There's people here to care about you, even though it's only been a day since you've joined our little flock. And one of those people is me, so you don't ever have to do this again," she told me, her smile as wide as can be.

I smiled, blushing slightly and nodding. "Sounds good," I whispered.

"And when we get to a camp sight, I'll give you that massage I offered," she grinned, her hands sliding off mine. She stretched, lying back, and sighing, a peaceful look on her face. She's really cute, I thought, leaning back myself, keeping my eyes on her, watching her peaceful expression, her nostrils flaring with every exhale. I closed my eyes, slowly drifting off, the movement of the wagon soothing, when Robin shouted from the front of the wagon.

Everything came to a sudden stop, I jumped up and off the wagon, grabbing the large sword and curved dagger, tossing them around my back. I peeked out from around the corner of the wagon, seeing Frederick and Robin jumping out from the seat. Ahead of us, a large group of humanoid figures stood, weapons brandished in their hands. A few of them were spread out, closer to us. Robin quickly readied a tome and sword, stepping forward and taking a tall stance, their sword out in front of them, ready to strike.

"Frederick, stick with me!" Robin shouted, Frederick nodding. "Chrom, stay inside and protect the others. Stahl and Sully, pair up and take point!" The two people on a horse on each side of the carriage moved together, starting past the wagon, weapons drawn. "Mason, take you time and move up. I want to see what you're capable of. Lissa, watch his back!"

"Aye-aye, sir!" she shouted playfully, sliding off the wagon and putting her hands on my shoulder. "What are you waiting for, get moving!" she giggled. I chuckled slightly at her enthusiasm, stepping around the wagon, readying my dagger.

"What are the enemy's?" I asked Robin as I passed.

"Risen. Some things we encountered in the forest the day before. They're extremely aggressive so be careful."

I grinned, sprinting ahead at one of the lone troops, their skin a dark purple, their body covered in light leather armor. There were sounds of flames as well as metal against metal from the other direction, Stahl and Sully easily mowing through enemies, Robin supporting them with spells as Frederick covered him from other foes.

I neared the one I was after, his one-sided ax brandished in his right hand. He let out an inhuman growl, taking a few steps back, then lunging forward. As he stepped forward, he brought down his ax toward the center of my body. I quickly stepped to the side, latching on to the handle of the axe with my curved dagger, pulling it toward me, and him off balance. I stepped down forcefully onto the Risen's hand, pinning him as he howled in pain, my left arm reaching up and unlatching my great sword from my back, pulling it up and letting it fall, yanking down with a yell, the blade slicing clean through the Risen's body. As my sword hit the floor, the body crumpled into nothing, and I quickly sought my sights on the next target.

* * *

I sat on the other side of large hills, almost tall enough to be considered mountains, the road opening up after a small valley between the two. To my right was a small bridge, the most recent battlefield with the Rise. I winced as two hands lightly touched the back of my shoulder. Lissa sat behind me tending to my wounds, her legs outstretched, me sitting between them.

"You shouldn't have taken three of them on at once," she sighed. A bright light emerged from her hands as they lightly touched the area around where a Risen landed a slash against the back of my shoulder.

"I was just too absorbed in the moment. Adrenaline got to me, I guess," I told her, chuckling slightly. "But hey, we got out of it alive, didn't we?"

"Y-yeah," she sighed. "But don't do that again. I can't have you dying," she told me. "Afterall, you finally have someone caring about you," she giggled. I glanced back, smiling and nodding. "But honestly, you were pretty badass back there."

"Th-thanks," I told her, looking away and down at the ground, blushing, my ears growing hot. As I noticed them burning up, Lissa flicked them, giggling like crazy as I grabbed my ear, recoiling in sharp pain. As I started to laugh with her after a few moments, she let out a few snorts. I couldn't help but think how cute she was, lying there on the ground, laughing uncontrollably, clutching her stomach as she laughed. I smiled, sitting back down as she stopped laughing, patting the ground in front of her, returning to mending my wounds.

A few minutes later and some small talk between her and me, and she patted my shoulder, rolling down my sleeve and helping me stand up. As we stood up, a gust of cold wind blew past us, and I glanced toward where it came from.

A few hundred feet from where we stood was a large wall, snow gradually building up until it completely covered the ground in front of it. Chrom stepped in front of us and sighed.

"Well, Shepherds! Here we are. The border to Ferox!" he said, turning around and nodding. "Let's get going!"


	3. Chapter 3: The Warrior Realm

_*I'm sorry for how long this took. I've been swamped with everything going on right now, plus personal projects that aren't related to FanFiction, so I was a little behind in writing this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you did or didn't let me know!*_

_*If you want to see what i've been working on, check my profile for links to my original works. Also, just edited this for a few punctuation errors and stuffs since I finally got some free time. Bye!*_

* * *

Chapter 3

The Warrior Realm

"It's f-freezing!" Lissa growled through clenched teeth. Her arm wrapped tightly around mine as we stepped into the new, frigid landscape. I reached over, my arm wrestling around her shoulder, pulling her in closely to me, blushing brightly as I did. Her shivering slowed to a stop and she quickly looked away. We all stopped, standing at the base of the large wall, glancing around for a way up.

I turned around, seeing everyone besides one person. "H-hey, Chrom?" I asked, leaning over and nudging him with my elbow. "Where's Su-"

"Halt! Who goes there?!" a voice boomed, drowning out my voice. I quickly spun around, staring up at the top of the wall, a blonde haired figure sporting massive silver armor staring down at us. From beside them, a massive force of men sprouted, all wielding bows drawn back with arrows notched.

"I seek an audience with the khans. I am Prince Chrom, from House Ylisse!" Chrom shouted out. A moment of silence followed, then the booming voice from above sounded again.

"Do you think you are the first 'Ylisseans' to attempt a crossing of our borders?" there was silence from Chrom. "And do you realize that impersonating royalty is a capital offense? If you truly are of House Ylisse, let's settle this the Feroxi way. Attack!"

As she shouted those last words, the first archer on either side of her let their arrows fly, followed by the rest of the Feroxi troops. Something pulled my body forward, and I quickly turned myself around, my back facing the wall, Lissa tightly against my chest. I closed my eyes, expecting a piercing, cold pain to cover my back, but… nothing.

I opened one eye, seeing Lissa staring up at me wide-eyed, glancing around and seeing the others taking shelter from the oncoming wave of arrows. I stood up straight, turning around, slightly confused, my heart slowly calming. Where Chrom stood, there was nothing, just a clear patch of ground in front of his footprints. There was a loud gust of wind, and a confused screaming from above.

My gaze quickly turned upwards, seeing Chrom on the back of a winged creature, holding on tightly to the person in front of him, a woman dressed in pink armor, long black hair flowing behind her. Sumia sat right behind the wings of the creature, a large lance in her right hand. She whispered something to Chrom, then descended rapidly, dodging the onslaught of arrows and landing in front of the Shepherds. The creature folded its wings up and raised its neck majestically. It had the body of a horse, with the feathers and wings of an eagle, every part of it white. I stared at it in awe, silent like everyone else in our group, until Frederick spoke up.

"I think it would be best to put all our attention to the situation at hand!" he boomed, raising his lance and readying his shield on top of his armored horse.

"R-right!" Chrom shouted, unsheathing his sword and lowering his stance. "The Feroxi way it is!"

There was a shout of excitement and a rain of arrows toward Chrom and Sumia. Quickly Frederick yanked on his horse's reins, speeding it in front of the two, holding up his large shield, the arrows deflecting off it. I quickly pulled out my sword, and stepped forward, my footstep crunching in the snow before I kicked off, sprinting towards the left side of the wall. Behind me, I heard the soft footsteps of Lissa following me, her staff out and the decorations jingling loudly. As soon as I rounded the tree line, a Feroxi soldier rushed at me, screaming loudly, drawing his sword out from behind him. I quickly ducked under his horizontal strike, feeling the blade skim past my head as I stepped behind him, quickly turning and slamming the flat of my blade against his side, seeing him topple over toward the wall.

I sprinted forward again, seeing the others on the other side of the wall nearing the stairs embedded into the wall. As I stepped up to them, a group of four Feroxi soldiers rushed toward me. I readied myself, lowering my stance and ready to evade any given moment, but instead, was greeted with backup. Miriel let loose a fireball directly into the center of the group, Vaike leaping over me and slamming his axe across the width of the staircase, knocking back two of the people, arrows lodging themselves in the other two.

"Th-thanks!" I shouted to Vaike, Miriel, and the other man, and Vaike, Lissa, and I continued up the stairs. The top of the wall was a large, flat surface, troops scattered around the area. On each side of the wall was a heavily armored unit, a man in similar garb to Vaike, and a swordsman wearing leather armor. Before I had a chance to react, Vaike sprinted forward, slamming his axe against the man in heavy armor, his axe bouncing off his shield with a loud metallic clang, but quickly swinging again before the enemy could move, a loud sound echoing around as the axe bent and shattered the armor.

I sped to my right, heading toward the man dressed like Vaike, seeing a large axe in his hand. He stepped forward, raising the axe above his head and bringing it down on me as I approached, a wide grin on his face. I quickly raised the sword, catching the curved of the axe head against my blade, feeling the pressure weighing down on me. As the man pushed down on the axe, I felt my legs start to shake and buckle, and the options I had, quickly thinking on my feet and step to the side, sliding my blade out from under the axe, seeing his weapon slam into the ground. I spun the blade around, slamming the flat of it against him, his body flying into the small stone wall acting as a banister. To my left, Miriel had pushed an onslaught of fire toward the swordsman, who took them head on, showing no signs of slowing down as he approached the mage.

As I stepped toward him, I noticed Vaike doing the same, but both of us stopped dead in our tracks as a javelin sprouted from the man's shoulder. From behind Miriel, a heavily armored man, short black hair falling on his head. "Since when were you here, Kellam?" Vaike asked, stepping toward him, giving him a pat against the giant shoulder pauldrons of his armor.

Kellam let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "I was always here, you guys just never notice," he said, rubbing his brow between his eyes. I shook my head and looked toward the other side, seeing Chrom and Robin speeding through the enemies, disarming them with ease and standing before a woman clad in heavier armor than anyone else, a tower shield and lance in her hands.

* * *

I sat on the ramparts of the wall, my sword lying on the ground next to me, letting out heavy breaths. The heavily armored woman sat on the ground, backed into the walls as Chrom and Robin stood above her, staring intently at rushed over to me, her hands still slightly aglow from her healing the other shepherds, and she smiled at me. "Promise you're all okay?"

"Y-yeah," I said, scratching the back of my head and looking away. "Not a scratch on me."

"Great! I'm glad to hear it!" she said, leaning forward and giving me a huge smile. She spun around, her twin tails spinning around and falling down to her shoulders as she stepped away toward other Shepherds who were injured. Chrom and Robin stood at ease as the woman shifted her position, prostrating herself on the ground in front of everyone.

"A thousand apologies, Prince Chrom," she said, her voice booming and courageous. "No frauds could ever wage a battle as intense of you and your Shepherds. I will send word of your arrival to the capital and escort you there personally, if that is, of course, all right with you, Prince."

"That would be most appreciated," Chrom said, sheathing his sword and giving her a smile. "Now stand up, Raimi."

As Raimi left, entering the door leading into the wall, Robin said something to Chrom, Frederick stepping forward off his horse and mentioning something to the both of them. A gust of wind picked up, my clothes lifting off my body and shooting a chill through my spine. I shivered, rubbing my shoulders and letting out a breath to heat myself up.

"Chrom!" Lissa shouted, her voice barely clearing the noise of the wind, "Can we please leave?!" She shivered, standing close to the pegasus, wrapping herself under its wings.

"Yeah, I guess it isn't getting any warmer," he said, rubbing his bare arm and following Raimi into the wall. As we approached the Feroxi entrance to the wall, Riami was already outside, her arm elevated, a crow taking flight from it. As the bird disappeared from her sight, she spun around, motioning us toward her, already making strides toward the capital without us. We stepped out from inside the warm confines of the border wall, the cold wind hitting us like a ton of bricks, the Shepherds' teeth chattering in nearly perfect unison.

Our pack trekked our way through the serene, snowy forests of Regna Ferox, pairs and groups of people huddling together. I slowly looked around the area, seeing bright birds hop from branch to branch, and white rabbits dashing from bush to bush as our footsteps approached. The gentle wind blew snow up, creating wisps on the clear sections of the forest, snow rising into the sky. A feeling of relief washed over me, and I let out a small smile. I glanced over to my right, seeing Lissa standing near Sumia, the wings of the pegasus wrapping around her and tucking her into its fur. She slowly rubbed her hands together, blowing into them, her nose and ears turning red.

We stepped through the forest, approaching a large mountain, a gate built into it, slowly rising with metal clanks, a bright light from inside. The gate led to a tunnel the sounds of the wind and water drops echoing against the wall. We all walked through in silence, just the sound of our footsteps being loudly amplified in the tunnel, the bright light growing closer and closer until it opened up.

Before us sat a grand town, embedded into the carved out mountain, the roof opening and the sun shining brightly down on it. The town was circular, sections going around the outside of the city creating divisions of elevation depending on their uses. Houses lined the most outer sections of the city, their square designs simple but elegant. The next down seemed like a commercial district of sorts, signs covering buildings and people bustling around loudly. These two districts continued until it reached a large castle, a circular shaped structure in the center, a domed ceiling covering it. Small mounds of snow covered the streets.

"Well, if you'll follow me, I will escort you to the castle," Raimi said, not even glancing back, but stepping forward down one of the four grand staircases leading to the largest structure in the city. As Chrom stepped forward, the rest of the Shepherds were jolted out of their awe induced daze, quickly jogging to catch up with their leader. Slowly, but sures, I followed, finally stepping into the warm interior of the Feroxi castle. I stared around at the stone interior, brown fabric covering the walls and floors. Pillars sprouted from the entrance hall, leading to a single throne, where no one sat. On each pillar, a banner was displayed, showcasing a crest of some sort, completely unfamiliar to me. To each side were pathways leading to more rooms, some of them meeting rooms, doors wide open. As we all approached the throne, we all stopped, and Raimi spun around, her posture tight, her chin raised high.

"If you would so please, your troops may rest here for the duration of your stay. To your immediate right and left are halls leading to a multitude of rooms, all being barracks. As you do, I shall go fetch the Khan for you," she announced, her voice booming and echoing through the entire castle. I wouldn't have been surprised if people outside the city heard her.

"Well, you heard her," Chrom said, letting out a sigh. "Get yourselves comfortable."

The Shepherds nodded, a few of them, Vaike and Miriel being the two noticeable ones, started down the hall to our left. As the group started to follow, Chrom, Lissa, Robin, Frederick, Sumia, and I were left.

Chrom glanced over at us, and smiled. "That means you too, all of you. Mason especially. You're a Shepherd now, so get used to being called that," he told me with a smile.

"A-are you going to be okay?" I started. I glanced over, feeling Frederick shoot me a look of daggers. "Sir," I added on.  
"Of course," he smiled, letting out a hearty chuckle. "I've got Robin and Frederick here with me. If a fly touches me, Frederick wouldn't let it leave alive."

I let out a chuckle and nodded, giving him a full smile, for the first time I had been here.

"It's good to see you smile like that, Mason. You'll have a wonderful time with the Shepherds."

"Thank you, Sir," I said, giving him a slight bow, being wholeheartedly appreciative he trusted me so much already. As I did, I felt a tug on my shirt and was pulled backwards, almost caught off balance.

"C'mon, Mason," Lissa growled enthusiastically, pulling me down the hall by the collar of my shirt. I stumbled forward, maintaining my balance, Lissa's grip sliding down to the edge of my sleeve.

We came to the first set of doors, entering one of the right and being greeted with the Shepherds already making the place feel like home. Bed sheets were set up in the center of the room, creating a division of the beds, people already taking off their armor and getting comfortable. On my right side, all the women sat on their beds, making chitter chatter about miscellaneous things on our way to Ferox, and on our right… well…

There was Vaike standing on the bed, his ax brandished in one hand, enthusiastically swinging it around and telling a tale of a hero slaying a dragon with only an ax. I sighed, stepping over to that side of the room, giving Lissa and Sumia a quick smile and sat down on a bed next to the green haired man.

As Vaike told his story and others laughed, the green haired man turned toward me, our legs dangling between the cots we sat on. "So, I've never introduced myself," he said, closing his eyes, tilting his head and giving a slight smile. "I'm Stahl." He held out his hand and I quickly shook it.

"I'm Mason. It's nice to meet you Stahl."

There was a loud boom of laughter from the group on the other side of us, and Stahl my attention quickly shot toward it, seeing Vaike jumping from the bed and taking a low stance, his hand roaming horizontally across the room as he described the wasteland the dragon's desolation had made.

"So, is this too much for you?" Stahl asked, turning toward me. I tilted my head, confused about the meaning behind his question. "To take in, of course. New lands, new faces, a completely new life."

"How did you-" I started to ask, but he just let out a small laugh.

"I have a knack for reading people," he said. "It's written all over your face." He quickly kicked off his boots and laid back on his cot, his arms tucked behind his head. "Don't worry, took me a while to get used to it as well. You'll get the hang of it. You're a good person," he told me, letting out a loud yawn and turning to his side. I smiled, sitting back further on my cot,my shoulders lowering. I stared at Vaike and the few other men in the room, feeling a vague sense of sleepiness fall over me. I let out a small yawn, feeling my jaw pop and my eyelids grow heavy. I slowly leaned back, feeling the soft comfort of a pillow beneath my head, quickly slipping into sleep.


End file.
